At a hearing Monday in Manhattan in which he ruled filmmaker
Dinesh D’Souza must continue
community service for four more years, U.S.
District Judge Richard M. Berman said he considers D’Souza’s violation of
federal campaign-finance laws to be evidence of a psychological problem and
ordered further re-education, I mean counseling.
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| Dinesh D’Souza |
D’Souza’s defense counsel Benjamin Brafman provided evidence
to the court that the psychiatrist D’Souza was ordered to see found no indication
of depression or reason for medication. In addition, the psychologist D’Souza
subsequently consulted provided a written statement concluding there was no
need to continue the consultation, because D’Souza was psychologically normal
and well adjusted.
But Judge Berman, who was appointed by Bill Clinton,
disagreed, effectively overruling the judgment of the two licensed
psychological counselors the U.S. probation department had approved as part of
D’Souza’s criminal sentence.
“I only insisted on psychological counseling as part of Mr.
D’Souza’s sentence because I wanted to be helpful,” the judge said. “I am
requiring Mr. D’Souza to see a new psychological counselor and to continue the
weekly (re-education) psychological consultation not as part of his punishment or to be
retributive
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